Oily science

Did ExxonMobil pays for crooked global-warming science

Untitled Document
Did ExxonMobil really pay scientists and economists to
write articles trying to debunk global warming? A February 2007 report in the British newspaper The Guardian fell like a
ton of bricks on efforts by ExxonMobil, the world’s largest and most
profitable oil company, to repair its damaged environmental reputation.
According to the report, the Exxon-financed American Enterprise Institute,
a conservative Washington, D.C.-based “think tank,” offered
scientists and economists $10,000 each, plus expenses, to write articles
undercutting the dire findings of the United Nations’
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the extent and
impacts of human-caused global warming. The ties between ExxonMobil, AEI, and the highest
levels of government go way back. AEI has received more than $1.6 million
from ExxonMobil over the years, and more than 20 of its staffers have
worked as consultants for the Bush administration. Former Exxon head Lee
Raymond is still an AEI board member. A month before the Guardian report, the Boston-based Union of Concerned Scientists
released its own report documenting ExxonMobil’s $16 million in
donations since 1998 to 43 organizations working to discredit the science
of human-induced climate change. UCS joins a growing chorus of voices
asking the company to turn the corner on global warming and start embracing
a transition away from fossil fuels. “ExxonMobil has manufactured uncertainty about
the human causes of global warming just as tobacco companies denied their
product caused lung cancer,” says Alden Meyer, UCS’s director
of strategy and policy. “A modest but effective investment has
allowed the oil giant to fuel doubt about global warming to delay
government action just as Big Tobacco did for over 40 years.”In September 2006, Britain’s leading scientific
academy, the Royal Society, asked the company to stop supporting groups
that “misrepresented the science of climate change.” In
response, ExxonMobil said that it funded groups that research
“significant policy issues and promote informed discussion on issues
of direct relevance to the company” but that such groups do not speak
for the company. No doubt feeling some heat, ExxonMobil issued a
statement recently in response to an IPCC update: “There is
increasing evidence that the Earth’s climate has warmed on average
about 0.6 C in the last century. Many global ecosystems, especially the
polar areas, are showing signs of warming. Carbon dioxide emissions have
increased during this same time period — and emissions from fossil
fuels and land use changes are one source of these emissions.” The
statement also acknowledged that “the risks to society and ecosystems
could prove to be significant . . . it is prudent now to develop and
implement strategies that address the risks. . . . ”Whether the company is really ready to aggressively
develop alternative energy sources — like its competitors Shell and
BP — is yet to be seen. But environmental leaders share a guarded
optimism that the tide is turning in their favor and that ExxonMobil will
back up its words with action — eventually. Send questions to Earth Talk, care of E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 or e-mail earthtalk@emagazine.com.